M & S

I had an interesting lunch with Bob Tickler in which he expanded on his theory that an investor should understand both product and service as well as the financial state of a company. We discussed Marks and Spencers, now caught up by the online retailer ASOS. As part of my brief for another consumer online journal, I periodically visit stores.

Yesterday I visited M & S in Brighton to purchase some navy trousers. I could find none my size. One of the weaknesses of M & S is that they have till assistants, not clothes advisors. However an assistant asked me as I walked around the store if she could help. When I saw a couple of pairs I liked, but not in my size, she said she could order them online. She made 5 attempts to do but none registered.

She summoned another, seemingly more senior, assistant who cancelled the order and then re-tried with the same result. I offered to pay cash but this was impossible. I explained they had lost a purchase, if not a customer, which generated this reply from the second assistant:

“It’s not my fault. It’s the machine.“

This is service of unintelligent, sloppy and unhelpful kind. Half an hour later at another venue I checked my emails to see the order had been confirmed and then cancelled. A further call to the customer services reactivated the order. Because of my difficulties she offered to arrange delivery at my home free of charge.

So my ending was a happy one but if M and S are going to restore their reputation they need a more reliable online facility and service, not to mention the ongoing deficiency in women’s garments. The only real sector of profit margin and quality is the food hall.